Two Worlds: Undone
by madameHunterr
Summary: A new era has begun and Alex Mercer finds himself to be the center of all attention. 2nd Captain Jessi-Lynn Adams fights against her ex-fiancé in the sight of Blackwatch, but helps him find the truth behind closed doors. Alex/OC. Rated: M. [WARNING! Contains: Violence/Gore and Language]
1. Day Zero

**Author's Note: So here it is, the third sequence to my Prototype fanfic. :D I know a good amount of people have been looking forward to this, and I hope you all enjoy reading it, almost as much as I enjoy writing it ^_^**

* * *

" _I'm gonna find out who did this to me...and I'm gonna make them pay."_

— Alex Mercer, opening scene of Prototype

* * *

He woke up, taking in a deep breath of air as if he were holding his breath for much too long, causing his head to feel as if the room was spinning. There were two people standing in front of him, men wearing protective suits, looking at each other and then back to him.

"Get the _fuck_ out!" one screamed out and they scrambled out the door.

He rolled off of the cadaver, hanging on to it for support. The sudden movement might have been too much for him. He looked around the room briefly as he stabilized himself before his eyes fell to the door the men just ran through. He got to his feet and followed, running through the hallway and clinging on to the wall for support as he made his way to the elevator, eager to escape the deafening alarms going off—presumably—throughout the building. He found his exit from the building, stumbling and struggling to stay standing. His head was still spinning, weakness and pain surging through his entire body. What was going on?

He heard a loud sound, looking up to see a helicopter making its descent, to which he ran and hid himself behind a truck, making sure he was still able to see what would happen next out of curiousity.

Men clad in black military gear flowed out of the helicopter and it took off afterward. He kept as quiet as possible as they spoke to the pathologists. He may have been standing there for a couple minutes before the soldiers raised their guns to the pathologists and shot them several times before their bodies hit the floor, lifeless.

"Oh, shit." he muttered, unintentionally catching their attention. He tried to run, but they cornered him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! Wait!" he said, hands up in a surrendering motion.

But they didn't listen to his plea, "Take him down!" one ordered, and they all opened fire, riddling his body with bullets.

He screamed in pain, dropping to his knees. "What's happening to me?!" he yelled out as he stood up again, grasping his abdomen where bullets were shot into just moments ago. He looked to them, then to a dumpster next to him, eyes trailing to the large gate on the other side. He looked at them again as he ran toward it, jumping on the dumpster and somehow leaping right over the gate, landing on his feet safely on this other side.

 _I need_ _to get the fuck out of here...I can't keep this up forever..._

He ran down the alley, jumping over another gate. His attention was caught by a helicopter making its way over to him.

 _Oh, no, no..._

He continued running down the street, easily hopping over cars that were in his way as if he'd done this a million times. If he could just make it far away enough, he could perhaps try to assess what exactly was going on.

The helicopter fired a missile, hitting the pavement by his feet and causing him to stumble for a moment, a "fuck" escaping his lips, but was able to regain his composure. A car nearly landed on him, but he'd managed to catch it. He stood up, looking at the helicopter and still holding the vehicle, "What are you gonna throw at me next, huh? What do you want from me?!" he yelled at the helicopter. The aircraft began deploying soldiers, and he wasted no time in hurling the taxi toward the helicopter; sending the vehicle spinning down to the ground and leaving an explosion and dead soldiers left in its wake. He took the opportunity to run along a building to reach the top.

 _I can't believe what I just did..._

He jumped over and ran up to the top of a taller building, trying to get a better view of his surroundings. Two more helicopters stood in his way, opening fire on him. He ripped off an air conditioner and threw it toward the the nearest aircraft when it was close enough. It spiraled down toward the city streets, clipping the tail of the other and causing it to follow its path down as he proceeded to do the same to the remaining helicopter.

Everything that occurred from the time he woke up to that moment seemed like an elaborate dream. It had to have been, right? No human could possibly _ever_ have the ability to scale walls, hurl taxis at shooting helicopters or anything of the like.

 _This...can't be happening..._

* * *

His body was exhausted. The pain of his movements never ceased throughout everything he did to ensure nobody was after him again. He found a fairly desolate alley and dizzily walked to the end as the words of the pathologists ran through his mind, slumping down and leaning against the wall, eyes closed in pain. He sensed a presence and looked with only his eyes. Another soldier. He just wasn't getting a break. He remained still, hoping that they would leave him alone so he could finally rest. The man shot him right in the forehead. He slumped over as if he were dead, acting along and forcing himself to not react to the pain.

He stood up, grabbing the soldier who had turned his back to him and flipped him over, forcefully smashing his head right into the ground and killing him. Some tentacle-like membrane came out from his body, surrounding the soldier and picked apart the man's tissue. He heard footsteps and turned around, waiting for the next one. He felt a tingle, and looked down to his hands to see that he somehow changed into the soldier he'd just killed.

He stood still, waiting for the soldier to get closer. The soldier was dressed differently, white cloth under the armour instead of black like the one he was in.

"Report!" the man demanded, but he didn't speak a word. The soldier walked right up to him, "Where the fuck is the target?!"

He grabbed him, throwing him to the ground and pummeling his face in. Those tendrils came out once again, but this time, his head suddenly felt a horrible pain. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on and wanted the pain to end. When he came back to, he realized that he'd gotten the location of someone who may help. His sister, Dana.

He made his way over to her apartment, hoping that she had a better idea of what was going on than he did. Upon arriving, he opted to get to a higher point to scope out the area. There were soldiers, perhaps waiting for him and guarding anyone who wasn't authorized from getting out or in. He had to think carefully. He remembered that he'd changed into that other soldier earlier, and did the same as before. This time, he was the soldier with the white clothing. He made his way down to the street and was able to walk right in.

He changed back into his natural appearance as he approached the apartment door that was ajar. He glanced at the door and saw that it read _15 A._ It was the right apartment and he could hear someone struggling inside. He opened the door to see a girl, presumably his sister, struggling against a soldier who was holding her in a head-lock with a gun pushed into her temple.

"Get off me!" she demanded, but he didn't listen.

"Dana?!" he called out in a panicked tone, unsure of what he could do to help her.

She dropped her head down, and forced it back up, knocked the man in his face with the back of her head and managing to get away. He took the opportunity to force his fist through the soldier's chest, killing him before he hit the ground. He turned to Dana, who was backing away from him, clearly frightened.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." he reassured her, reaching out to her, but she covered her face more. "I promise, I'll keep you safe, but we have to get out of here now."

She slowly lowered her arms to her sides, taking a look at him. She tentatively took a hold of his bloodied hand he held out for her and they ran out of a side door. They made their way into the tunnel, away from the eyes of the soldiers.

"I need your help." he said simply, looking at his sister as she sat down against the wall, taking in a deep breath.

"Jesus. I knew something fucked up was going on at Gentek. What the hell happened to you, Alex?"

He shrugged, having no idea what was going on around him or why he couldn't remember anything before waking up in the morgue.

"I've been researching that whole fucked up organization for weeks. I was poking around to get _you_ information." she explained, as if trying to grasp reality, "Don't you remember? You wanted to find out what was going on at the highest levels of Gentek—anything about the Director of Research. Do..." she stopped talking as she watching him wince and place a hand on his head.

Through the pain, he saw a card. Gentek was written on the card with a man's picture on it, with the name, _Raymond C. McMullen._ Underneath the name stated, _Director of Research: Security Clearance Alpha._ How could he know that so easily, but couldn't remember anything about himself before this night?

"Are you okay?" Dana asked.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked her, ignoring her question.

"I...I haven't even seen you in five years. Not until you showed up at my door last month." she admitted.

He turned around, thinking of what to do next, "Is there somewhere we can go?" he asked, looking back to her.

"Yeah. I, um...I know a place."

* * *

She took him to a friend's place, who was away on a trip for a year. She walked up to a board with different papers stuck on to it, papers that looked related to what was going on.

"Any idea what this all means?" he asked her, as if she could possibly have a better idea.

"No, but I'm gonna find out." she reassured him, "I mean, this is the story of the century, so somebody's gotta know what the fuck is going on here."

He continued looking at the board covered in papers, trying to find anything that may be of use to him.

"You know..." Dana spoke, "they were waiting for me at my place, so...they're most definitely at yours." she finished, looking to her brother.

"Where do I live?" he asked.

She was surprised that he didn't even remember where he lived, but pointed to the map nonetheless and told him the location.

"You'll be here when I get back?" he asked her, "It's best you stay put. They're probably combing the city for both of us." he advised her and turned to leave.

"Yeah, I'll be here." she watched him walk out of the door, closing it behind him before taking a deep breath, "What the fuck is Jessi gonna say about all this...?"

* * *

 **Well...there's the first chapter. x I hope you all enjoyed it :) and I'll see you in the next one ^.^**

≺) [ṃȧƌạṁeḤuɲʈǝrr]


	2. Day One

**Enjoy :)  
**

* * *

 _Day One: Infection confirmed._

* * *

Alex cautiously made his way over to his apartment. He knew that they were going to be waiting for him and he would have to think carefully. He reassured himself that he had the upper hand, that they didn't know what he was truly capable of.

Upon entering his apartment, he saw a blackboard with information scribbled upon it. There was a bookshelf with many books to go through, and computers. What caught his attention, however, where the pictures on the wall next to him, surrounding a certificate in his name. Pictures of, presumably, him and a few different people. There was a picture of Dana leaning against a woman, who looked quite young and was...very beautiful. There was a picture of him kissing a child, a pretty little girl, with her small hands around his face. Then, there was the picture with him and a woman with blonde hair, his arm wrapped around her.

He moved in to touch the picture and was sucked into some sort of painful memory where she grabbed him by the arms. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but she looked very worried. Once he came to, he looked around the apartment again. If finding something about the people in the pictures was going to be painful, he figured that he could do them one at a time.

Suddenly, he heard a loud bang, and was forcefully blasted out of one of the apartment windows. His body surged in pain as he was falling to the ground, but quickly recovered and landed on his feet, making a small crater in the road upon impact. He looked around, teeth gritted in anger and aching for revenge on those who attacked him. He saw a tank on the other side of the building. Soldiers were guiding a man out of the building and ushered him into the tank before it took off.

 _He's the one..._

A helicopter flew over Alex, soldiers lowering themselves to the ground from the aircraft. "God damn it, that thing's still moving!" one shouted, pointing to Alex as they opened fire on him. He ignored the pain of each bullet quite easily in his enraged state, running towards them and easily killing them one by one with a simple and deadly kick or punch.

" _Red Crown_ , we sighted high-pri Tango. Reroute Strike Team." a Marine officer radioed in.

"Kill Zone on move. Please wait your turn and get ready to roll." a female answered the request.

Alex huffed in irritation, "Shit. Here comes the cavalry..."

He grabbed the soldier who made the call-in, bashing the man's chest in with his fist before he bade his way down the street, ducking in to an alleyway he suddenly came upon and altered his appearance to match that of the soldier dressed in white once more. He took a moment to catch his breath, staying hidden in the narrow area as he heard the radio go off, "HQ, this is Echo One Alpha. Lost target. Repeat, do _not_ have target."

 _Well...that was easy._..

He continued following the tank, unsure of where it was heading but he pursued it nonetheless. He wanted to catch the man responsible for the bomb. He wanted to know _why_ everyone was after him.

His radio went off again, "All Sigma units, converge on Central Park for immediate extraction."

That had to have been the man responsible for trying to kill him. He wasted no time redirecting himself toward Central Park, eyes open for any sign of military activity. It didn't take very long to run along and find the tank stopped by a bridge. Everyone surrounding the tank was on alert. He needed to get the man out of the tank to make his way to the extraction point.

His hand moved to his radio, "All clear, proceed when ready." he said in reassurance to those listening in. In a matter of seconds, the man was leaving the tank and running down into the tunnel to be picked up.

His movements were too quick for those around him to register as he ran through the tunnel, grabbing the man and continued running through the park, up the side of a building and on to the roof despite the man's orders to be let go. He threw the man down, beating his face in until the tendrils came out once more. The almost unbearable pain surged through his skull again as he gathered any necessary information.

" _Doctor, try to keep the discussion high level. We need to know what we're dealing with on the ground."_ the voice of the man he'd just killed said.

" _Its effect is...variable. When it DOES manifest, it makes the Idaho Strain look like the common cold. I don't need to remind you gentlemen how close we came to the point-of-no-return in Idaho. Mercer's body is a bomb, filled with this weaponized pathogen, waiting to go off. And now it's loose in the city. Bring it in, no matter what it takes. I'd say dead or alive, but I'm not sure those classifications fit Alex Mercer any longer."_

He didn't recognize that second voice at all. Who was it? He looked to the ground, where the man's body would have lied, if he wasn't picked apart into fine matter. All that remained was the blood. So he was infected with some virus that made him stronger and capable of everything that he could do. That's why everybody was after him? He needed more answers. He needed to know _everything_ that lead up to this point.

He waited for a few minutes out of sight before making his way back to Dana's hideout.

She told him that the best person to talk to would be Jessi-Lynn Adams, and seemed unbelieving when he admitted he didn't know who she was. Was he supposed to know? Dana pointed to the map, giving him Jessi-Lynn's probable location and told him to just go there and see what he could find out from her.

* * *

Jessi stood halfway in the living room; the rest of her on the backyard patio, having a cigarette. She was a wreck, stifling her tears as much as possible. She couldn't accept the fact that the man a part of her was somehow still madly in love with, the father of her child, was now gone; being cut apart and examined on some table.

She moved back into the house, not bothering to close the door. She slumped down onto the couch, looking at her daughter. She buried her face in her hands, bursting out into tears yet still trying to control it, teeth gritting in the emotional pain of a part of her forever lost.

"Alex..." she cried out, shaking her head and ignoring the whimpering coming from Sparkle.

"Jessi-Lynn Adams?" she heard, her head snapping up in disbelief. It couldn't be...

She whipped her head around to see Alex standing there, near the door leading to the backyard, "A-Alex?!"

"Yeah?" he answered, taken aback slightly by her demeanor, but paying more attention to the dog that was circling him before returning to lie down on the couch. He recognized her from a picture back at his apartment. She was the woman Dana was leaning against.

"Y-You're...you...how..." she muttered, getting to her feet and never taking her eyes off him in fear that this might all be a dream.

"What?" he asked, his hands moving in the same manner they usually would when her Alex spoke.

He had to have been alive, somehow. But how? He was killed; shot dead in Penn Station. She ran up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

Alex felt the searing pain of another memory. He tried to hide the pain as much as possible.

They were together once. They were going to get married. They were in love. They had...a child. A daughter; and there she was, playing with some toys on the living room floor. She was the little girl he was kissing in that picture in his apartment as well. This was his family...

"Oh, my God. I thought you were dead. Oh, my God!" she cried, kissing him repeatedly. She stopped when she saw him wince in pain. "I'm sorry, I didn't know I was hurting you."

"It's alright." he managed through the pain.

"How are you alive? Why are you here?" she asked, her hands slipping away and becoming saddened as the reality of what he did came back to her.

"I was told you could help me." he stated simply.

"By who?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"My sister, Dana."

"I know who she is, Alex." she smiled sweetly. "Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do at this moment. I'm wanted for questioning due to our relationship. I'm on the brink of losing my job and title for this, possibly my life. I'm trying to avoid that as much as possible for the sake of Riley." she explained, looking over to their daughter for a second. "I'm unsure of how I could possibly help in the first place." she shrugged.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked.

She turned her head away, her eyes shutting tight as she dropped her head. "I was told, but...I don't want to believe it."

"Believe what?"

"I..." she began, but stayed silent. "It's a lot to explain. It's not safe to even discuss it here, anybody could be listening."

"I should go, then."

"I don't want any harm to come to you, so perhaps—" she was cut off by Riley waddling her way over to Alex and grabbing his leg. She saw how he tensed up at the contact and analyzed his behaviour as best as she could. Something was completely wrong about him just with that simple gesture toward his own daughter, but it was still him. She knew it was him; it _had_ to be. How was he even alive? She was still trying to process that the man she was told merely hours ago was dead, was now standing in her living room. Riley could see him too, so she wasn't dreaming...was she?

"Come here, Riley." Jessi said as she picked up their daughter, but the little girl kept trying to reach out to her father. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked, smiling at Alex.

"Uh..." he muttered, unsure of whether he should.

"Perhaps another time." she reassured Alex. He didn't seem very comfortable with the idea. He nodded in response.

"I'll try to find out what I can. Until then, _please_ stay out of trouble as much as possible."

"They can't hurt me." he said confidently.

"Alex. Please." she pleaded.

"I'll do what I can." He said, looking into her eyes and then to Riley before turning away to leave through the same door that let him in.

Jessi looked at where he once stood, "This can't be happening..."

* * *

 **Poor Jessi. So much for her to process D; Take care! :)**

≺) [ṃȧƌạṁeḤuɲʈǝrr]


	3. Day Two

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as short as it may be :)**

* * *

"I told you, I didn't assist Mercer in _anything_." Jessi growled.

"Miss Adams, it is extremely difficult to believe that you would not aid the father of your daughter in his time of desperate need." the man said, circling around the table.

The man General Randall decided to have interrogate Jessi was none other than her own father, General Jacob Adams. Perhaps he thought that her father could be the one to get the truth out of her, but she knew different. She knew Randall and Cross were both watching behind that glass. She knew Cross wasn't blind and must have known that she told Alex something. But she also knew that he would stick by her, despite being so angry with her and having to cover her ass if it boiled down to that point.

"Well, he was clearly capable of trying to help himself, now wasn't he?" she spat.

"Look, I'm not your enemy. We're all just trying to understand _why_ the events that occurred were even able to happen." her father explained simply.

"You're asking the wrong person, General." she stated.

"This would be so much easier if you just told us the truth." he tried once more.

"I am. Just because the man and I have a past, doesn't mean that I would jeopardize the very career I built for myself to save him from his own problems. He made his mistake and paid for it, end of story."

General Adams slammed his hand down on to the table, "Don't play games with me, Jessi-Lynn!"

" _Enough."_ General Randall cut in, stepping into the room and her beloved Cross behind him.

"Captain, can you state the reason _why_ Mercer was able to get to Penn Station in the first place; and why he wasn't eliminated beforehand?" Cross asked her, looking her dead in the eyes. He knew full well that what she was going to say next would be a lie, but he would accept it nonetheless.

"I don't know why he was able to get to Penn Station before I got to him. The only conversation we'd ever really have was pertaining to our daughter. He doesn't even know that I work for Blackwatch. In all the years that I've known him, I never gave him any reason to suspect as such. I was planning to eliminate him next, rather than leave him for last."

"General, that will be all." Cross said to General Adams, escorting him out of earshot.

"How did he know about codename: 'MOTHER'?"

Jessi waited for Cross to return, an assurance that her father could no longer hear anything, "I don't know how he knew about Elizabeth Greene'. I never spoke a word to him about anything. As I said, he doesn't even know I work for Blackwatch."

"What were you doing on the second of September?"

She glanced at Cross and back to Randall, "I was with Captain Cross, Sir." she stated simply.

Cross looked at her as Randall watched him, "Is this true, Captain?"

"Affirmative, Sir." he said without hesitation.

"And what were you two doing off-duty together?" General Randall raised an eyebrow as he asked Cross, seeming to take his word better than hers.

"We had coffee and were discussing the status of the Wisemen and Stealth teams; ways to improve their efficiency, Sir." he said with ease.

General Randall looked to Jessi, "Explain, Captain."

"We were discussing the possibility of having lighter gear to ease the amount that the Teams carry without risking protective gear or combat necessities, Sir, especially for the Stealth Team."

"Miss Adams," the General began, "Why didn't you eliminate Mercer?"

"I wasn't expecting him to do what he did, Sir. If I knew, we wouldn't be in this predicament."

"Captain, you are one of our finest. You have never given me a reason to doubt you, but this messy of a situation makes it difficult for me to decide on the next course of action for you."

"I'm the reason this happened, aren't I? Allow me rectify my mistake, Sir. Please, I owe it to everyone in the city. There are people roaming the streets, unaware of what danger they're in now, because of my failure to act on time. Most of all, I owe it to my daughter. I need to protect her." she requested.

"How can I know that you are to be trusted?"

"I will keep watch on her, Sir." Cross cut in, both the woman and the General looking at him. "As you said, Sir, she is a fine Captain and has never done anything to compromise our order. She leads one of the best teams we have to offer, a team that is necessary if we're to solve this problem effectively." he suggested, glaring at his fiancée.

General Randall stayed silent for several moments in contemplation. Finally, he looked to Jessi, "You are to earn my trust again and the trust of all others at Blackwatch, is that clear? If I find any faults, there _will_ be harsh consequences."

"Yes, Sir."

He turned to Cross as Jessie stood and found her place next to him. "Dismissed."

They saluted the General and left immediately to her home.

* * *

"At what point did you think it was wise to hide the fact that Alex is still alive from me?" she asked, trying to keep her anger toward her fiancé at bay.

"He's not 'alive', Jess. He's not the same." he stated as he walked through the door of the lake house.

"He moves the same way, talks the same way. How is he _not_ the same?" her eyebrows knitted in irritation.

"He's not human." Cross said nonchalantly, "Have you seen what he can do?"

"No. You had me staying at home until I was brought in for questioning." she reminded him.

"He's a murderer, Jess. He's strong, he's very powerful, he's not like the other runners. He's taken down aircraft with his own hands."

"That isn't possible. No strain has ever been able to be so powerful." she said, eyes shifting in thought.

"The virus he synthesized made it possible."

"The one with a basically ninety-nine-point-nine percent mortality rate? The one that kills everything it touches?"

"You and I both know that not _everything_ dies when it comes into contact with these viruses. Furthermore, he's the _first_ male runner."

"What you're telling me right now is that he's not like the other runners we've encountered, then?"

"Exactly."

"But...how..." she asked, slumping down on the couch.

"Your failure to do your duty as a leader of this organization has put us in this mess. On top of that, you wanted to take me down with you." he spat.

"I didn't want to take you down with me." she said, standing up and wincing from the pain in her abdomen.

"I covered your ass back there, and you know damn well I did! You would've had a bullet in your fucking head if it wasn't for me!" he said, stepping up to her.

Jessi looked at him in surprise and, honestly, she was a bit frightened. In all the years she'd known him, she never really heard him or seen him this angry before...now that she thought about it, she'd never seen him angry. He always had his emotions in check, "Well, you didn't have to cover me, Cross. You could have let me take the fall."

"What is with you and this fucking bastard?! What has he ever done that didn't end in your heart being broken?! Yet you take the fall for him, despite the fact that he'd _never_ do the same for you! He unleashed a deadly virus onto the island that his _own_ daughter resides on! He's an asshole, Jess! He's _never_ gonna change! You told me that you were done with him! You said it was us from here on out! That's why there's a fucking ring on your finger, and _I_ put it there!"

"I know..." she said in a whisper, her voice cracking. She turned and began walking away to her bedroom.

"Jess..." he called out, regretting his harsh words.

She said nothing. He followed her, only to have the door shut just before he could get to it. He heard the lock click, but still tried to open it.

"Babe, I'm sorry." he said, jiggling the handle, "Please, open the door."

"You're right..." he heard her muffled voice behind the door. She was crying. "He'll never change. I guess a part of me wanted to believe that my foolish decision when I was younger wouldn't be completely in vain. A part of me wants to think that I didn't throw away you and I being married for nothing. I wasn't interested in you that way back then. I was so young, I didn't think it was right. It's only when I got older that I realized it didn't matter. You were the one that stood by me. You were the one, not Alex..."

He made her cry. He'd never made her cry before. He slumped down to the floor outside of her bedroom door, "I should have saved you from all of this pain. You deserved better than this."

He looked up upon hearing the door open and Jessi stepped out into the hallway, extending her hand. He gently took hold of it and lifted himself off of the floor with his own weight.

She led him into the room, slowly zipping down his suit before looking into his eyes, "You weren't meant to save me, Cross. You were simply meant to let me love you."

"Why do you do this to me?" he asked her, gritting his teeth.

"Why do you allow it to happen?" she came back, still looking into his eyes.

"Because it's you..." he growled out before pressing his lips to hers, lifting her off of the floor and pressing her against the wall with her legs wrapped around him...

* * *

≺) [ṃȧƌạṁeḤuɲʈǝrr]


	4. Day Three

**Author's Note: A lot has been going on lately and I do apologize for the late update...a lot always seems to be going on with me..xD also, blame my beta-boyfriend :D**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Alex returned to Dana's Safe House to see that she was watching his daughter, Riley. Jessi had asked Dana to watch the baby girl and dropped her off not too long ago, as she had to go to work. The child wouldn't stop trying to get his attention, only being convinced by Dana to pick her up. She was distracting, constantly trying to pull on his jacket and shirt, even his hood and hair. He had to let her back down and she continued to tug at his pant leg, but he managed to concentrate on what Dana was trying to say.

Dana informed him that there was information about a young woman, Elizabeth Greene. Alex recognized her, Dana not finding this surprising in the least as Alex's name was the only one other than hers in the file. He decided that whoever she was, she had to have known more than he did. She was still at the GENTEK building, so that's where he would be headed next. He managed to wiggle out of Riley's grasp and headed out the door, the little girl turning her attention to her aunt, showing her toys and waddling off to do her own thing.

* * *

 ** _Blackwatch Headquarters_** ** _— RED CROWN Command, Battery Park..._**

" _AXIOM_ will sweep to the river. _BRIMSTONE_ will encircle the entire sector and detain anyone moving through the area. I want this contained by daybreak."

"But, Sir, there are nearly a hundred thousand people in the _Blue Zone_..."

"I'm _not_ interested in excuses. _Get it done!_ "

The general turned off the screen overhead, turning to the two people who walked into the room just seconds ago.

"We have a situation I think your teams are well suited for, Captains. How long until your people are in place?" he asked.

"We're prepped and waiting for orders. We can be wheels up and boots on the ground anywhere in the city in fifteen." Jessi spoke up.

"With respect, Sir, a suppression operation in a city of twelve-million is slightly more than our teams can handle." Cross added.

"The situation has already evolved, Captain. You and Captain Adams aren't participating in the containment action. Your teams have a single target: Alex Merer. Codenamed: ZEUS."

Jessi looked over at Cross with her eyes alone, not saying a word, wanting to hear more rather than interrupt the General. She instead looked at the photos that they had of him in the files.

"We've learnt that he's carrying a new strain. He's eliminated fifty of our men and smashed through a two-foot steel door. You interested?"

"I'm your man, Sir." Cross said.

"Of course." Jessi added almost immediately.

Cross looked at Jessi in admiration. Here she was, doing her duties as a Blackwatch Captain, but couldn't make it more obvious that she just wanted to completely fall apart. She had to find and eliminate the man she once had a life with, the father of her child. It was only hours ago that she got the news he was shot dead in Penn Station, only to find out that he was somehow replicated and still living, having to take him out, for real this time.

"I don't need to tell you two what's at stake." the General said with his back turned to them before returning his sight on the two.

"Sir." Cross and Jessi showed their respect with a salute.

"Dismissed." he finalized the briefing.

Jessi and Cross turned to walk out of the room, but was stopped by the General calling out to her.

"Yes, General?" she replied, standing in place after giving a nod to Cross to go on ahead.

"I hope you will set things right with your second chance. I don't want your personal feelings getting involved with this task. If you cannot handle this, let me know."

"This is not the man I knew, Sir. I have no qualms with the mission given to me." she stated with a tone of indifference.

He gave a nod of approval and she continued out the door.

* * *

 _ **GENTEK Facility**_ _ **—**_ _ **51st Floor, BLACKLIGHT Research Division...**_

It was dark and reeked of death. Bodies were scattered along the floors, one even stuck within the doorway. What was this? Alex stepped inside, seeing only a single light in the large room shining into a glass casing and a woman sitting inside. Along the walls, he could see membrane-like material moving as if it were breathing. He ignored it, proceeding to approach the woman. Her head was bowed down, her knees up and her arms under them.

He walked up the few steps, stopping at the top, "Elizabeth Greene?" he called out for her attention, confirmation that he was in the right place.

She looked up at him, dried blood stained on her face and eyes empty; void of any sign of life, "The time for waiting is over." she said, her voice almost like a hiss. She stood up in one quick movement and hit him. A simple act, but it held enough power to completely throw him back, hitting the wall behind him and falling down to the floor.

She sauntered over as he recuperated, looking down at him.

"I don't understand." he said in confusion, hands and knees still on the floor.

"Watch." she hissed out, placing her hand on his head.

A flash of horrible images went through his mind: the torture that she was put through over the past years, weakening him and he fell down to the floor, groaning through the pain. He proceeded to pick himself back up slowly, holding his head as he was still in recovery.

She stepped over, holding her hand to the wall. The membrane dried up from her touch, crumbling to reveal the city skyline. She looked over to him as his head was bowed, "I am your mother." she stated.

This caused him to snap his head up in surprise, looking over to her only in time to see her simply walk off the edge and disappear. He stood up and looked over the edge to see if he could still spot her, but his attention was drawn away by growling and tearing from within the room.

Creatures carrying the general aspect of a human, but completely deformed erupted from the mass tissue, looking straight at Alex. Their roars were almost as gruesome as their appearance. One leapt straight for Alex, letting him catch a better look at them. How could creatures like this possibly be? They were monstrous, deformed, unreal. It aimed straight for Alex's chest, using it's large arm to knock him out of the window. He fell straight down to the ground, a crater being left in his wake as he picked himself up with ease.

Tanks and armed soldiers were present, their attention being drawn right at him. They didn't hesitate to open fire, but it was quickly stopped as the creatures from the fifty-first floor came crashing down on to them, a soldier even being picked up by the creature and having a huge bite of him being taken before tossed to the side.

 _Damn it...there just aren't enough military here to slow them down..._

He grabbed a soldier standing next to him, his attention entirely on the creature beforehand, "I need to know what you know." he told the soldier as his tendrils devoured him, gaining whatever useful knowledge he could get from the man.

There was a military base not too far from the GENTEK Facility. The creatures' attention were all on Alex; he could lure them there, with more military power to help him. He began running for the base, the creatures not faltering to follow.

Upon arrival, he busted through the window on the roof of the building, all eyes immediately drawing to him as the soldiers opened fire. He grabbed up a rocket launcher as one of the creatures following him came down through the same opening. He wasted no time in firing the weapon at the creature, knocking it back on impact, but it was still standing.

 _Holy shit..._

He ran to the top of a row of massive tanks, firing the launcher a couple more times at the creature. It stopped chasing after him, holding its head and wavering around. He grabbed the stunned creature, his tendrils coming out to possibly gain more strength. His body began tingling, mostly his arms as they changed; sharp, giant claws replacing what were once his hands.

 _What the fuck..._

He tried attacking a couple soldiers that were shooting at him, his blade-like tips slicing through them with ease and they fell to the ground.

 _That works..._

"Devil Dogs!" a Marine called out.

Alex looked to see more of the creatures crashing down to the base floor, all after him.

 _More of them...and I'm just getting started..._

He wasted no time in going back and forth from the creatures, dealing damage to each and barrel rolling out of the way when they tried to take a swing at him. It was going to end at this rate and he wasn't sure whether the militia were after him or these creatures instead. He looked around, noticing six large chambers in the base and had the brilliant idea of how he could easily end this.

He picked up a rocket launcher, ignoring the horrid creatures that were constantly chasing him as he fired at the tanks until he'd managed to blow one out. The tanks were extremely resilient, not faltering as easily as he thought they would and he would run out of rockets at some point. He decided to try launching at each one instead of concentrating on one at a time while thinking of a contingency plan to finish them off.

 _Would the bullets from these guns work? Rockets aren't even taking these damn things out easily..._

In his thought process, one of the creatures had managed to strike him. Instead of falling to the ground, he used his claws while his eyes were on the monster to stop himself, his arm getting stuck in the ground momentarily and was surprised when enormous spikes had risen from the ground where the creature was, killing it.

 _Was that my doing?_

He looked at another one and drove his claws into the ground again, the same thing happening confirming his suspicion.

The downside of using this against the tanks was that he would be vulnerable to the creatures attacking him as it caused his claws to be stuck into the ground. Perhaps there was another way to do more damage.

He ran up the wall, latching on for a moment before jumping back and gathering as much of his strength as he could, forcing himself down to the ground. The damage he had dealt in that moment was vast, destroying all three tanks on that one side and killing nearly half of the monsters chasing him.

It would take him a while to gather enough strength to be able to do the same damage to the remaining two in the facility, so he concentrated on taking out anything attacking him. The soldiers that were in the base were all dead. That meant that he would have to use the creatures to increase his strength even though his body was already recovering from the damage he dealt to the tanks.

He put his concentration on the monsters, stunning them before latching on to them and letting his tendrils do the rest. After consuming a few of them, he replayed his steps in dealing the devastating attack on the two tanks still standing and once they blew out, the loud, cracking sound of the walls breaking was all too clear as the building exploded, the entire base crumbling down and killing the monsters that were chasing him all the while.

 _Well, that was...fun._

* * *

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	5. Day Four

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I am _SO_ sorry for not updating this sooner! A lot has been going on, but such is life. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Day Four: Population Infection: 4%_

* * *

"Does the name 'Karen Parker' ring any bells?" Dana asked Alex, turning to him. When he gave no response, she continued, "Well it should. She was close to you; an ex girlfriend. I have her address from the laptop."

Alex gave out a sigh, feeling a bit weary of finding women he was with, however many that was. Was he aware of how intertwined it all was before this whole thing started?

"Get to her before the military makes her disappear. Look, if I can find this lead, you can bet they will too."

He looked to her before walking out of the door, heading to see Karen Parker. Hopefully, she'd be more useful than Jessi. Why had Dana even suggested that he saw her? She just seemed like a woman he had a child with. She wasn't any use to him whatsoever.

Upon arriving closer to Karen's place, he saw that things were turning rather awry. People were running, apartments were on fire and right across from Parker's place, there was a building that was covered in the mass tissues like the ones back at the GENTEK Facility. It had to be Elizabeth Greene's doing.

Seeing as they were distracted, he took the liberty of continuing into the building to speak with the woman.

"Karen Parker." he announced his arrival.

"I thought you were dead." she spoke, standing up.

"I should be." he agreed simply.

She walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug. He stood still, not returning the gesture. She removed herself, looking at him.

"Right now, we need to get out of the military cordon." he told her.

"You need to get us a vehicle—a military one if possible. It's the only way we'll be able to get out of the district." she suggested.

He nodded, leaving to do so. He had to infiltrate a military base, which wasn't hard at all for him to do. Once inside, he consumed the driver and gained the knowledge of how to operate the APC, driving it out to an area where there would be a fair amount of infected people. Once his practice was done, he headed over to get Karen and took her to the location she gave him, both going inside the apartment.

"We know a few things about the outbreak: there are _two_ genetic strains at work." Karen started, turning to look at him, "I need samples from both types to be able to treat it."

Alex continued looking at her as she spoke.

"First, you're going to have to locate samples from Infected Water Towers and then collect samples from a full-blown Hive." She showed him a map with circles over certain parts, "The Water Towers are prevalent in these areas. Get there, destroy them and collect the material. Then, head uptown and get the material from the Hive." she finished.

Alex stepped back toward her, "Whatever's happening here, this is only the beginning..."

* * *

After gathering the material that Karen requested, he returned to hand it over to her and headed back out to Dana to see what else she might have dug up.

The Carrier, U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was to arrive at New York City's harbour, as if things couldn't get any more dramatic than they already were.

"Where are they landing?" Alex asked her as they stared at the computer screen.

"Southeast Manhattan. But the Carrier—the U.S.S. Reagan—is supposed to remain off the Southern coast..." she said, "I wonder where those trucks are heading." she thought aloud.

"Wherever they're going, I'll bet McMullen is there." Alex said, Dana turning around to look at him, "He did this to me and I'm gonna find out _why_."

"And then?" Dana asked.

"And then I'm gonna make sure he never does it to anyone else," he said, turning to leave, "Ever again."

She looked back at the laptop, thinking of when Jessi was going to step into all of this. She contemplated on telling him, but didn't want him to feel as if he couldn't trust her since she knew and concealed the information. She needed more time to think of how she would explain it to him.

* * *

 _ **Blackwatch Headquarters — RED CROWN Command, Battery Park...**_

Jessi sat in the conference room next to Cross, eyes glued to the coffee in her mug while listening to McMullen speak about "Zeus".

"The damage that Mercer has caused is catastrophic on an unrealistic scale. It _must_ be brought in as soon as possible. It's destroying building after building, slashing down countless people—whether or not they're shooting at It...Its ability to shape-shift is far beyond any weapon that we humans can ever imagine of designing."

 _Bullshit._ _You morons designed_ _it...and we helped...we never eradicated it..._

"I want to know what drives it. I want to know how it can cause all of this chaos." McMullen continued.

"No..." Jessi blurted out accidentally, eyes widening when she realized she had spoken her thought aloud.

"What was that, Captain?" Randall asked her.

"I-I...I don't believe that Mercer caused this by himself. Elizabeth Green is out there now; _all_ of this damage couldn't have been caused by Mercer alone. His strain is completely different from hers as well. Look at his patterns; this isn't him. It's her. These...Hives and these Hunters...they didn't appear until she was released. Furthermore, the makeup is identical to the masses you see inside her chamber on _Fifty-One_..." she stated, looking away from McMullen.

McMullen perked his head up, intrigued by what the Second Captain just stated. Even Cross' eyes were on her. Not in a way she expected, however; but more in a "don't do this to yourself" kind of way. She felt regret for saying anything.

"What brings you to this theory?" Randall asked her.

"Just an observation, Sir," she began, keeping her eyes on Cross for approval, "it just seems like a lot of chaos for one person to cause and it doesn't correlate with what he's done."

"Mercer is _not_ a person!" Randall exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table.

Cross gave Jessi a subtle nod.

"My apologies, Sir. Please, excuse me." she said, casually getting up and walking out of the door.

"I want surveillance on her." McMullen stated.

"Doc?" Cross spoke up.

"She knows something, more than we do. If she is withholding information from us, it could be useful to our cause to bring Mercer down." the Doctor explained.

"You cannot assume that she is witholding information just because she has an opinion based on her observations on the field, which is more than what you've seen." Cross defended her.

"Your request for her surveillance is denied. I will not have you eye down people in this organization." Randall stated.

"You are close with her, correct?" McMullen asked Cross, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"She has been my partner for years." Cross said casually, adamant to not give any hint of a relationship between the two. "If anybody knows her, it's me. She isn't hiding any information. I've seen it for myself and I support her opinion." he said in a final tone.

"Very well, then." McMullen stated, the meeting being adjourned.

* * *

Jessie sat in her office, eyes going over the various pieces of paper scatttered across her desk, looking for any missing pieces that may fit together in this horrific puzzle. She wanted to know what Alex's ultimate plan was when he found out. She wanted to know what she could do to minimize the consequences of either of their actions.

"Ms. Adams." she heard, looking up to see Dr. McMullen

"Yes, Doctor?" she asked.

"Working on something, are we?"

"That is classified." she almost snarled out, stacking the papers together and placing them in her drawer, locking them away with a key.

"Hmm..." he said, lifting a hand to his face, "Classified...like your relationship with Alex?"

"Back off, McMullen." she warned him.

"Tell me, are you upset that the man you have to bring down is the father of your child?"

"Get out of my office." she demanded, irritation clear in her demeanor as she stood up.

"Or what? You'll sic your dog on me?"

"My dog?" she asked, an eyebrow lifting, unsure of what he was speaking about.

"The whole of Blackwatch knows that after hours, you probably fuck Captian Cross right here on this desk." he said, a low and sinister tone taking over him.

"That is an absurd implication and you are in no place to pass such judgements." she said calmly, hands behind her back, posture upright and standing her ground, just as she was taught from a child. She saw that her fiancé had entered the room quietly, but showed no sign of acknowledgment as she kept her eyes on the monster than owned _GENTEK._

"Is it? Tell me, you were once engaged to Captain Cross, am I right? And then you went back with Dr. Mercer and were engaged to him. Were you fucking Cross while engaged to Mercer too? You seem to have a reputation for going back and forth between the two men. That ring on your finger, which one is it from this time?"

"Get the fuck out. _Now_." Cross growled out, grabbing the Doctor by his shirt and pushing him out the door before slamming it in his face.

Cross turned to Jessi, "Are you stupid?" Cross said, walking quickly toward Jessi.

"How rude! I didn't initiate the conversation—he waltzed into my office like he owns the place all of a sudden!" she defended.

"I'm talking about the meeting, Jess. You can't blurt things out like that."

"I wasn't...I wasn't there...I zoned out..." she stuttered, "I didn't mean to speak out in the first place." she admitted, sitting back down in her sleek, black office chair.

"I know." Cross assured her and gave out a sigh as he looked at the items laid out on a shelf, "McMullen's eyes are on you. What are we going to do now?" he asked, turning around to see her hiding her face on her desk. "Babe...what's wrong?"

"I-I...this...Alex..."

"This isn't Alex." he reminded her.

"It _is_." she said, sounding as if she was trying to convince herself of it as well.

"Alex is a virus, destroying everything he touches."

"He cares."

"Does he really?" he asked, coaxing out her thoughts.

"He does...this is the Alex I knew before he...changed..." she said, trailing off.

"Jess...Alex died in Penn Station."

"He is _not_ dead! He just wants to know what happened...he didn't even remember Riley..."

"He got riddled with bullets! How could you do this to yourself? You're jeopardizing everything." He said, eyes staring into hers before she looked away. "You said you weren't going to get your personal feelings involved again. You said you were going to treat this as if he was just another person and ignore his place in your life before this. What about everything he's done to you? What about all the pain he caused you before Penn Station? What about the pain he's causing to everyone around him? Your Colleagues? He _murdered_ Emélie."

She winced at the memory of her recently dead team mate. Somebody she was put in charge of, a life she was supposed to ensure nothing happened to in this dangerous job. She had time off of work that day, she just appeared as another civilian, he couldn't have known. "He's changed." she almost whispered, "If he knew that she was important to me, he wouldn't have..."

"This _isn't_ him! He doesn't even remember how he got to this point! He doesn't _care_ about who _any_ of us are! All he knows is that _we_ are the _enemy_."

Jessi looked away.

"He will never come back, Jessi. Once the virus is gone, so is Alex..." He reminded her, leaning down and giving her a gentle kiss before leaving her office.

* * *

 **McMullen is such an ass lol. See you all in the next chapter!**

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	6. Day Five & Six

**Author's Note: I'm _so_ sorry for this late update! A lot has been going on lately, but I'm trying to pick back up!** **  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Day Five...**_

Alex wasn't sure exactly how he was able to tell who would have the information that he needed, but he followed his instincts nonetheless and it never failed to give him at least something that might be useful to him. He had managed to acquire information from various people regarding so many different aspects of not just the outbreak, but about certain people as well. One of them being Jessi-Lynn Adams—or more rather, _Second Captain_ _of the Blackwatch Organization_.

"Zeus is _extremely dangerous_. He does not care who you are or if you're happily married with children. He can shape-shift into _anyone_ and change his arms into weapons unlike any other _._ You are _not_ safe around him and he _will_ cut you down without a second thought. Should you see him, you are to alert either myself or the Captain _immediately_ and then take necessary action. This is _not_ a game, people, this is the real deal. So get your shit straight and do as you're told, or suffer the consequences." she spoke sternly.

"Yes, ma'am!" a large group of Marines responded to her orders.

So he was with someone in Blackwatch. Had he known before all of this? Does Dana know of this as well? He couldn't trust Jessi. She was the enemy and he was not safe around her. He would make her pay for her betrayal soon enough. For now, he would find out more about the outbreak.

He headed over to investigate the base initiated at Battery Park, unprepared for just how secured it was. Someone there knew McMullen and he was going to find out everything they knew; that part wasn't difficult. It was, however, difficult to get what he needed with everybody immediately opening fire on him. How did they know he was there in the first place? He was disguised as one of them. He couldn't understand just how he was so easily noticed.

Then he saw it. There were these machines that reacted any time he got within range. These guys were prepared, but how? He saw the commanding officer and didn't hesitate to grab and consume him.

" _We know Zeus has been spotted multiple times in this area and we're breaking out some new tech to pin him down. This Unmanned Aerial Vehicle can detect the Virus at less than ten parts per million in open air. With it, we should be able to box Zeus in and destroy it."_

So that's how they were able to figure him out so easily. That still didn't answer how they already had this technology just...waiting for him. He'd figure it out later. Right now, he needed to evade the eyes of everyone shooting at him.

He ran out of the base, heading down an alleyway and altered his appearance back to his normal self. He peeped out of the alley to see if anybody was heading that way. His attention was so caught up in them, that he hadn't noticed the person that leapt from a stairway right on to him, bringing him to the ground. He shifted his arms into claws to attack, but stopped when he saw _who_ it was.

"Captain..." he growled, eyes locked on to hers despite the barrel of her sniper rifle pointing right between his eyes.

"What are you doing, Alex?" her question came through her respirator, muffling her voice.

"I'm making those responsible pay for what they've done to me."

"You unleashed that monster into the city. Why did you release Elizabeth Greene?" she asked more sternly, pressing the barrel of her sniper into his head.

"I didn't know." he gave his simple explanation.

"Bullshit!" she exclaimed, unbelieving of him.

"I really didn't know! I didn't know you were with _them_ either!" he growled.

She sighed, removing the gun from his face and taking a hand off of it to help him up. "You knew. You really must have forgotten a great deal." she stated, turning around as the pain spiked up in her abdomen once more, clutching the area.

"You're an enemy and I have nothing to say to you."

"What?" she asked and turned back to him, a worried expression showing through her eyes.

"You betrayed me."

"No, Alex." she said, "Betraying you would be killing you before all of this shit started. Betraying you would be giving Blackwatch the location of Dana's Safe house." she explained, stepping up to his face. "Betraying you would be going against the fact that you are the father of my daughter and somebody I love. Betraying you would be me handing you over to them rather than helping you end this the way it should." she finished, taking her green eyes off of his icy-blue ones, "What have you found so far?" she asked.

"Not a whole lot. Karen is putting together a cure for this this as we speak. I gathered the genetic material for her from Water Towers and some that was dispersed from Hives." he explained, unsure as to why she looked back at him so quickly.

"You can't trust her, Alex." she warned him.

"And why the hell not?"

"You just can't. You don't know who she is or what her motives truly are."

"I can't trust you, either, Captain." he defended.

"So now you're standing up for her because she told you to collect genetic material from Towers and Hives?"

"At least she's helping me!" he yelled.

"And I'm not?! I'm defending you within those walls!" she informed him, pointing back at the Base, "I'm doing what I can to keep them off of you!" she said, poking him in the chest with her finger.

"Says the enemy's lapdog." he grunted, looking away.

"I am _not_ a lapdog. I am a leader of Blackwatch, so watch it, Mercer." she sneered.

"Well, we'll see how trusting you can be in the end." he stated simply.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Alex. Don't you think it would be best to settle down a little and let the situation be dealt with on our end for now?" she suggested, afraid that he could be killed if he continued down the path he was on.

"Right, just surrender to the enemy and get fucked over." he declined.

She sighed, "You should go on and take out the tech. The UAVs are closing in on Dana's Safe House as we speak." she advised, stepping out of the alley and walking away as if nothing of any significance had occurred.

Alex did as Jessi told him, destroying the UAVs and APCs one by one to prevent them from finding Dana and eventually, there were none left to destroy. With them temporarily crippled, he could continue on in finding out what was going on and how he could stop it.

* * *

 _ **Day Six...**_

 _Population Infection: 20%_

Alex had underestimated Blackwatch. Yes, he stopped them _momentarily_ by destroying a bunch of UAVs and APCs; but that didn't prevent them from setting up a chain of Viral Detectors to search and close in on Dana's Safe House the next morning.

He began the troublesome task of destroying the Viral Detectors until there was no more left. Had Jessi known about this? If so, why didn't she warn him yesterday? His trust in her was dissipating with every new discovery, making him question her _true_ motives.

Still, something within him made him trust her. The look in her eyes and the way she spoke to him gave him hope that she really was on his side in all of this chaos. She said that she loved him, so he thought maybe he shouldn't be so harsh on her. She said she was trying to protect him from within the base. All he could do at this point was hope that she really didn't screw him over in the end.

* * *

 _ **Blackwatch Headquarters — RED CROWN Command, Battery Park...**_

"Sir." Cross and Jessi greeted the General, walking up to his desk.

He looked at them, "At ease, Captains." he said, turning to the other man in the room, "Director McMullen, share your data with them. Perhaps it will help them complete their mission."

McMullen flashed the two a knowing smirk, "Mercer...uhm... _Zeus_...rebuilds on a cellular level—a shape-shifter." he began, "We've used the DNA sample you recovered to synthesize a pathogen. Inside Zeus, the pathogen will generate a possible cure." he began, looking right at Jessi, whose brief expression was one she was glad the General hadn't seen.

The General handed Cross a box: a large syringe needle with the pathogen contained within. Jessi looked at it, thinking of how much pain it would cause Alex, her eyebrows knitting. She looked up to see Doctor McMullen smirking evilly at her, which caused her to grit her teeth.

"Do you understand your mission?" The General asked them.

"We're to inject the weapon into the target, Zeus, and bring him in." Cross said, glancing at Jessi for a moment before returning his eyes to the General, "Sir, with respect, all indications are that—"

The General grabbed Cross' arm, "Mercer isn't a _he_ , it's an _IT."_ he reminded the Captain and let go of his arm, "I will debrief you when you complete your mission." he finished, looking at both of them, "Dismissed."

They gave a nod and left the room as ordered, walking to Cross' office. She held her abdomen, the pain coming back once more. Cross saw this, but said nothing as she refused to see a doctor about the pain.

Jessi closed the door behind them, sighing before looking at him, "You can't possi—"

" _Enough._ " Cross said sternly, turning to face her, "You will _not_ let your feelings get in the way of what we have to do any longer. You are _my_ fiancée! You need to stop acting like he's the one who's gonna be there for you after this all ends. Am I understood?" he growled out.

"He still feels, Cross..." she said, her voice cracking.

"He _isn't_ human. You of all people should know this, Jess."

"I'm not going to support you hurting him and causing him unnecessary pain." she said, crossing her arms.

"Then don't. I will do this on my own." he stated, adamant to carry this mission through, "And don't even think of informing him, Jessi. He has to be brought down, one way or another. He's a monster. He is _not_ the man you knew, so get yourself in check."

"You're cruel, Robert..." she said softly, leaving his office and closing the door behind her.

* * *

Alex returned to Dana's Safe House, receiving good news that Blackwatch had Scientific Teams turning up at Hives. This was a way that he might be able to get closer to McMullen, hopfully, and find out the whole story to all of this. He was the head of research: he knew what happened and Alex had to get a hold of him to find out how and why.

He reached a Hive that was still out of control, searching for the Commanding Officer in the area. He must know McMullen. He grabbed the man, throwing him to the ground and pummeled his face in until the tendrils came out and picked the tissue apart.

The Scientific Teams were securing marked areas so that McMullen could be placed in for direct study, but won't come in unless everything read nominal. He had to hack the detectors and have it seem like nothing was wrong with the area to get to McMullen.

He made his way over to another hive that had detectors in place; McMullen's next objective. One by one, he hacked the detectors until all were reading clean. He radioed in, informing McMullen that the area was clean, asking what his estimated time of arrival was. The communication channel replied, alerting all Blackwatch Personnel that McMullen was arriving. Alex awaited, watching the helicopter as it neared, in the process of landing.

There was a sudden rumbling from the Hive, all Hunter nests adorning the building collapsing. He looked back at the helicopter, which had stopped the landing process and rather lifted up and headed out and away from the Hive. He had lost his chance to get McMullen and would have to find another way somehow. Maybe Jessi would be able to help. He evaded the soldiers shooting at him and headed out to her place, awaiting her arrival.

She was of no use to him when he finally spoke to her. She seemed uneasy, constantly trying to convince him not to seek further help from Karen. But he had no reason to _not_ trust her. If anything, there was more reason to distrust Jessi, yet he didn't. He and Karen were working on a cure, that was enough for him to know that she was on his side. Jessi claimed to support him, but she hadn't given any direct help to him whatsoever.

He supposed that only time would tell.

* * *

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End file.
